Gastric Bypass Surgery
Swedish Covenant Hospital offers Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery, which has been endorsed by the National Institute of Health as an effective solution to permanent weight loss.
During the surgery, the surgeon reduces the size of the stomach to a small pouch, which limits the amount of food the patient can eat and digest. This requires no removal of any part of the stomach.
Because the gastric bypass reduces the size of the stomach significantly, nerve endings send signals to the brain that the stomach is full after eating as little as one tenth the amount of food previously consumed.
Unlike other weight loss methods, patients don't suffer from hunger; in fact, caloric intake is generally about a moderate 1200 calories. And unlike the earliest bariatric procedures, gastric bypass permits normal absorption of food, medicines and most vitamins. Some foods-such as candies and fruit juices containing refined sugar, as well as milk-are not well tolerated, and should be avoided or consumed in very small quantities.
Compliance with dietary guidelines after surgery has a significant impact on the outcome and success of obesity surgery. Following surgery, surgeons generally prescribe vitamins and nutritional supplements to help assure that patients receive the nutrients they need.
The procedure itself typically takes between 90 minutes and two hours. After a hospital stay of several days, patients can usually return to work in four to six weeks, depending on their job.
If you have any questions or would like more information on our Weight Management program, feel free to e-mail weightmanagement@schosp.org or call (773) 907-7700.
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